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Kent Blackwell
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
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Ted Forte
The undercut hasn’t really pissed me off, I don’t find it too bothersome – but I have marveled at the stupidity of the bottom loading finder dovetail. I’ve always assumed there had to be some logical reason for it that just escapes my meager powers of understanding – maybe some mysterious manufacturing quirk that lowers the cost by having it load backasswards? Or maybe it’s just a marketing consideration meant to increase demand for replacement finders. Ted BBAA Southwest
From: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io> On Behalf Of Kent Blackwell Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2022 2:04 PM To: BackBayAstro@groups.io Subject: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
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|
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
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galacticprobe
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
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|
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
|
|
|
They drive me nuts too. Mostly good for equatorial refractors where the diagonal pas pass through some gravity adverse angles. No need for dobs or alt az to use the undercut. They work best with twist adapter diagonals and not set screws.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 10:38:01 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
|
|
|
Kent Blackwell
The twist-to-tighten adapters are so much better than setscrews. Too bad it took so long for someone to come up with the idea. Not only do they hold the eyepiece more firmly they also don’t mar the eyepiece barrel.
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On Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10:58:22 AM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
The twist-to-tighten adapters are so much better than setscrews. Too bad it took so long for someone to come up with the idea. Not only do they hold the eyepiece more firmly they also don’t mar the eyepiece barrel.
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galacticprobe
Roy, Mark, thanks for the info. Like I said, I'd never heard of an "undercut" eyepiece before. At least now I know what to look out for when I go to add a new eyepiece to my limited collection.
"Keep looking up!"
Dino.
-----Original Message-----
From: jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...>
To: backbayastro@groups.io <backbayastro@groups.io>; BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sun, Sep 25, 2022 2:07 pm
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
They drive me nuts too. Mostly good for equatorial refractors where the diagonal pas pass through some gravity adverse angles. No need for dobs or alt az to use the undercut. They work best with twist adapter diagonals and not set screws.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 10:38:01 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
Roy
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
|
|
|
Pretty hard to find one without the undercut now. I would not let that stop me from getting an eyepiece I required though. What really helps is a twist grip adapter. That eliminates almost all problems and is a lot more accurate than those horrible thumb screws and copper band.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10:52:15 PM EDT, galacticprobe via groups.io <lambulambu@...> wrote:
Roy, Mark, thanks for the info. Like I said, I'd never heard of an "undercut" eyepiece before. At least now I know what to look out for when I go to add a new eyepiece to my limited collection.
"Keep looking up!"
Dino.
-----Original Message-----
From: jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...>
To: backbayastro@groups.io <backbayastro@groups.io>; BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sun, Sep 25, 2022 2:07 pm
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
They drive me nuts too. Mostly good for equatorial refractors where the diagonal pas pass through some gravity adverse angles. No need for dobs or alt az to use the undercut. They work best with twist adapter diagonals and not set screws.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 10:38:01 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
Roy
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
|
|
|
Here’s one way to add a twist-grip eyepiece adapter, at least for 1 1/4” eyepieces.
On Sep 28, 2022, at 9:31 AM, jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...> wrote:
Pretty hard to find one without the undercut now. I would not let that stop me from getting an eyepiece I required though. What really helps is a twist grip adapter. That eliminates almost all problems and is a lot more accurate than those horrible thumb screws and copper band.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10:52:15 PM EDT, galacticprobe via groups.io <lambulambu@...> wrote:
Roy, Mark, thanks for the info. Like I said, I'd never heard of an "undercut" eyepiece before. At least now I know what to look out for when I go to add a new eyepiece to my limited collection.
"Keep looking up!"
Dino.
-----Original Message-----
From: jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...>
To: backbayastro@groups.io <backbayastro@groups.io>; BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sun, Sep 25, 2022 2:07 pm
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
They drive me nuts too. Mostly good for equatorial refractors where the diagonal pas pass through some gravity adverse angles. No need for dobs or alt az to use the undercut. They work best with twist adapter diagonals and not set screws.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 10:38:01 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
Roy
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
|
|
|
B&H photo has one for $10 less made by Celestron. Same thing.
On Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 10:07:25 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Here’s one way to add a twist-grip eyepiece adapter, at least for 1 1/4” eyepieces.
On Sep 28, 2022, at 9:31 AM, jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...> wrote:
Pretty hard to find one without the undercut now. I would not let that stop me from getting an eyepiece I required though. What really helps is a twist grip adapter. That eliminates almost all problems and is a lot more accurate than those horrible thumb screws and copper band.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10:52:15 PM EDT, galacticprobe via groups.io <lambulambu@...> wrote:
Roy, Mark, thanks for the info. Like I said, I'd never heard of an "undercut" eyepiece before. At least now I know what to look out for when I go to add a new eyepiece to my limited collection.
"Keep looking up!"
Dino.
-----Original Message-----
From: jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...>
To: backbayastro@groups.io <backbayastro@groups.io>; BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sun, Sep 25, 2022 2:07 pm
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
They drive me nuts too. Mostly good for equatorial refractors where the diagonal pas pass through some gravity adverse angles. No need for dobs or alt az to use the undercut. They work best with twist adapter diagonals and not set screws.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 10:38:01 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
Roy
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
|
|
|
Mark,
Disregard the last transmission. I didn't read far enough up the list of messages to see the one from Roy and the more recent ones.
George
George Reynolds
"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia
On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 09:31:34 AM EDT, jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...> wrote:
Pretty hard to find one without the undercut now. I would not let that stop me from getting an eyepiece I required though. What really helps is a twist grip adapter. That eliminates almost all problems and is a lot more accurate than those horrible thumb screws and copper band.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10:52:15 PM EDT, galacticprobe via groups.io <lambulambu@...> wrote:
Roy, Mark, thanks for the info. Like I said, I'd never heard of an "undercut" eyepiece before. At least now I know what to look out for when I go to add a new eyepiece to my limited collection.
"Keep looking up!"
Dino.
-----Original Message-----
From: jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...>
To: backbayastro@groups.io <backbayastro@groups.io>; BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sun, Sep 25, 2022 2:07 pm
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
They drive me nuts too. Mostly good for equatorial refractors where the diagonal pas pass through some gravity adverse angles. No need for dobs or alt az to use the undercut. They work best with twist adapter diagonals and not set screws.
On Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 10:38:01 AM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Slightly smaller eyepiece barrel diameter in the area of the focuser thumbscrew. Prevents the eyepiece falling out if the thumbscrew loosens slightly. But removal then requires more twist of the thumbscrew.
Roy
On Sep 24, 2022, at 11:02 PM, galacticprobe via groups.io <LambuLambu@...> wrote:
Just for an idiot like me who doesn't get the S&T magazine (I must be an idiot; I've been called one many times), what exactly is an "undercut" eyepiece? This is the first I've ever heard of them. I've tried the old Google search and am finding only ads for them (the Amazon site), or forum threads where people are either giving advice on how to "modify" them so they're closer to normal eyepieces, or saying they've never had a problem with them, or complaining up one side of the solar system and down the other about them without ever detailing just what one is. (Even a UK forum had someone complain that he'd never had trouble with an eyepiece getting stuck in a 2-inch focuser until he'd used an undercut eyepiece, but he never gave a description of one.)
"Keep looking up!"
Dino
I4 (Ignorant Idiot Inquiring for Information)
-----Original Message-----
From: preciousmyprecious via groups.io <preciousmyprecious@...>
To: BackBayAstro@groups.io <BackBayAstro@groups.io>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2022 9:02 am
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Undercut eyepiece barrels
Haha I thought I was the only one who thinks the dovetails are backward. I eventually turn them around. I never thought about the undercuts. Now I am. Thanks Kent.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 05:04:21 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell <kent@...> wrote:
Finally, a useful article by Jerry Oltion (Astronomy Workbench) in the November 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. I've never liked those outdated "undercut" eyepiece barrels, even before they were considered outdated.
Long ago, I purchased a 16mm Nagler Type 1 eyepiece. After unboxing it I noticed that it had an undercut barrel. I took it back to Adorama when I traveled to NYC and asked Howie Glatter (he worked there back then) if he'd swap it out for the older one he had in the display case made before Tele Vue switched to the undercut design. He gladly did so, and it's the one I've been using for years and years. I detest those undercuts which get hung up when removing them from the focuser.
Oltion also complains about finder dovetails made so the finders feed in from the bottom. That's just plain stupid. If the setscrew loosens the finder falls on the ground. And you can't flip the dovetail around either. I never could understand why Orion and other companies continues to make them that way.
Hopefully manufacturers will get on board after reading Oltion's article.
Kent
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